diff --git a/app/Roster/Data/ProviderInstallers.swift b/app/Roster/Data/ProviderInstallers.swift
index 68fd493..0770a44 100644
--- a/app/Roster/Data/ProviderInstallers.swift
+++ b/app/Roster/Data/ProviderInstallers.swift
@@ -324,6 +324,27 @@ enum CodexInstaller {
         }
     }
 
+    /// Places `block` as a document-root TOML entry. A bare key written after a
+    /// `[table]` header belongs to that table, so appending at end-of-file would
+    /// scope our `notify` into the file's last table (commonly an
+    /// `[mcp_servers.*]` block) and Codex would never see it. The block is
+    /// inserted just above the first table header instead; a file with no tables
+    /// (or an empty file) simply gets the block appended.
+    static func insertingAtRoot(_ block: String, into text: String) -> String {
+        if text.isEmpty { return block + "\n" }
+        let lines = text.components(separatedBy: "\n")
+        guard let idx = lines.firstIndex(where: {
+            $0.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces).hasPrefix("[")
+        }) else {
+            return text + "\n\n" + block + "\n"
+        }
+        var head = Array(lines[..<idx])
+        if head.last?.trimmingCharacters(in: .whitespaces).isEmpty == false {
+            head.append("")
+        }
+        return (head + [block, ""] + Array(lines[idx...])).joined(separator: "\n")
+    }
+
     static func install(at url: URL = defaultConfigURL) throws {
         try HelperScript.install()
         let text = (try? String(contentsOf: url, encoding: .utf8)) ?? ""
@@ -333,12 +354,11 @@ enum CodexInstaller {
         }
         try backup(url)
         let block = """
-
         # Added by Roster.app — appends turn events to Roster's spool.
         # Safe to remove; Roster re-adds it on the next Connect.
         notify = ["\(HelperScript.url.path)", "codex"]
         """
-        let updated = text.isEmpty ? String(block.dropFirst()) : text + block + "\n"
+        let updated = insertingAtRoot(block, into: text)
         try FileManager.default.createDirectory(
             at: url.deletingLastPathComponent(), withIntermediateDirectories: true
         )
diff --git a/app/RosterTests/ProviderInstallersTests.swift b/app/RosterTests/ProviderInstallersTests.swift
index af14a76..612c036 100644
--- a/app/RosterTests/ProviderInstallersTests.swift
+++ b/app/RosterTests/ProviderInstallersTests.swift
@@ -112,4 +112,36 @@ final class ProviderInstallersTests: XCTestCase {
             in: "# notify = [\"commented-out\"]\n"
         ), "a commented notify is no notify")
     }
+
+    func testCodexNotifyStaysTopLevelAboveTables() {
+        let block = "notify = [\"/Users/me/.roster/roster-hook.sh\", \"codex\"]"
+
+        // Config whose last section is a table (e.g. an MCP server). The bare
+        // `notify` must be inserted ABOVE the table: appended after the header
+        // it would become `mcp_servers.everything.notify` and Codex, which only
+        // reads a document-root `notify`, would never see it.
+        let withTable = """
+        model = "o4-mini"
+
+        [mcp_servers.everything]
+        command = "npx"
+        """
+        let out = CodexInstaller.insertingAtRoot(block, into: withTable)
+        let lines = out.components(separatedBy: "\n")
+        let notifyIdx = lines.firstIndex { $0.hasPrefix("notify") }
+        let tableIdx = lines.firstIndex { $0.hasPrefix("[") }
+        XCTAssertNotNil(notifyIdx, "notify must be written")
+        XCTAssertNotNil(tableIdx, "the table header must be preserved")
+        XCTAssertLessThan(
+            notifyIdx!, tableIdx!,
+            "notify must precede the first table header to stay a root key"
+        )
+
+        // A flat config (no tables) still gets the key.
+        XCTAssertTrue(
+            CodexInstaller.insertingAtRoot(block, into: "model = \"o4-mini\"\n")
+                .contains("notify = ["),
+            "notify is still written when the config has no tables"
+        )
+    }
 }